California State University faculty votes to authorize strike

LONG BEACH — The California State University faculty has voted to authorize a two-day strike at all 23 campuses, which would be the largest such walkout in state history, if contract talks fail.

The California Faculty Association, which represents professors, librarians, counselors and other staff, announced the strike vote Wednesday at a noon press conference at Cal State Long Beach. The authorization was overwhelmingly approved by 95 percent of those who participated in a two-week voting process that ended on April 27.

About 70 percent of the 12,501 union members voted, according to CFA officials. The CFA represents more than 24,000 employees, but not all are union members.

The decision followed 22 months of unsuccessful contract negotiations.

"The message to Chancellor (Charles) Reed is absolutely clear: The CSU faculty have run out of patience and it is time to address the issues before us so that our faculty can get back to the business of providing quality higher education to the students of California," said CFA President Lillian Taiz.

The rolling strike would affect all 23 California State University campuses this fall. Under the plan, campuses would go on strike for two days each, one immediately following another.

CSU spokesman Michael Uhlenkamp said the vote is premature considering the union and administration have formal bargaining sessions scheduled for Thursday and Friday.

Uhlenkamp said the administration is hopeful that a settlement can still be reached before the strike is implemented.

"(Wednesday's) announcement is more rhetoric from CFA leadership and has no bearing on negotiations," he said. "The CSU labor team has indicated that there are a limited number of items that still need to be resolved, so we are optimistic about a resolution that could happen in the near future."

CSU officials said the college system is struggling to offset a $970 million loss in state funding since 2008. The 400,000-student system has cut back on admissions and raised tuition by 23 percent in recent years, spurring a string of student protests across California.

Union leaders, however, noted that the CSU Board of Trustees approved 10 percent pay hikes for two campus presidents in March. Last year, trustees sparked a public outcry when they approved a $400,000 compensation package for San Diego State University President Elliot Hirshman, while in the same meeting also voting to raise tuition.

Key bargaining positions for the union include job security, class sizes and a stable teaching force. Union representatives said the administration has proposed to freeze faculty salaries at current levels, which haven't changed since 2008, with a proviso that talks on pay and benefits would be reopened for 2012-13.

The union has proposed a 1 percent raise.

The administration also wants to cut pay for summer professors and require an additional evaluation to make temporary faculty permanent.

The CFA held a one-day walkout in November at two campuses - Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State East Bay - to protest raises that went unpaid in 2008-09 and 2009-10 under the last contract.

Taiz said the CFA was pleased with the participation last fall.

"The campuses were completely shut down. It looked like a ghost town," she said. "We're expecting that kind of participation again on all 23 of our campuses."

The strikes would close down classes for two days, but Taiz said she believes students will support the CFA.

"There comes a time when you simply must stand up for things you believe in," she said. "The faculty, staff and students are all in this together. Students have been slammed with tuition and fee hikes and at the same time they're struggling to find classes. Faculty have been hit hard by ballooning class sizes and we've been left struggling against the odds trying to help our students succeeded.

"Now is the time for the voice of the faculty to be heard."

Students at the Long Beach campus on Wednesday said they would support a two-day strike to urge the CSU system to stop raising tuition and cutting classes.

"It's harder for me to find classes, but they're also raising tuition, and it's not right," said Anilu Magdaleno, a 19-year-old sophomore. "It's the faculty's right to strike, and I would support that."

In the meantime, about a dozen students at six CSU campuses began a hunger strike on Wednesday in protest of the CSU tuition hikes.